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. 2022 Jun;17(6):827-842.
doi: 10.1080/17441692.2022.2063362. Epub 2022 Apr 17.

Persistent disparities in COVID-19-associated impacts on HIV prevention and care among a global sample of sexual and gender minority individuals

Glenn-Milo Santos  1   2 , Chenglin Hong  3 , Natalie Wilson  1 , Jerry John Nutor  4 , Orlando Harris  1 , Alex Garner  5 , Ian Holloway  6 , George Ayala  7 , Sean Howell  8
Affiliations

Persistent disparities in COVID-19-associated impacts on HIV prevention and care among a global sample of sexual and gender minority individuals

Glenn-Milo Santos et al. Glob Public Health. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

As COVID-19 continues to persist, there is a need to examine its impact among sexual and gender minority individuals, especially those with intersecting vulnerabilities. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with a global sample of sexual and gender minority individuals (n = 21,795) from October 25, 2020 to November 19, 2020, through a social networking app. We characterised the HIV prevention and HIV treatment impacts of COVID-19 and the COVID-19 mitigation response and examined whether subgroups of our study population are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Many sexual and gender minority individuals reported interruptions to HIV prevention and HIV care and treatment services. These consequences were significantly greater among people living with HIV, racial/ethnic minorities, immigrants, individuals with a history of sex work, and socio-economically disadvantaged groups. These findings highlight the urgent need to mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19 among sexual and gender minority individuals.

Keywords: COVID-19; HIV; Health disparities; economic impact; sexual and gender minority individuals.

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